Local News

Paul Shear, a longtime employee of the Levy County Department of Public Safety, who witnessed the modernization of the department and represented his co-workers as union president, was presented a plaque on the occasion of his retirement by the Board of County Commissioners Nov. 7.

“(Shear) has been a very dedicated employee for many years at the Department of Public Safety,” BOCC chair John Meeks said. “I appreciate his many years of service. I’d say he’s one of the good ones because he stuck around so long, but he’s one of the good ones because he’s seen our EMS grow from its very infancy all the way to what it is today. I hate to lose him, but I’m sure he’s ready to retire and go onto something else.”

Shear was also praised by Board members for his dealings with the Board as the public union president.

“I enjoyed working with you all through the years,” Commissioner Lilly Rooks said to Shear. “It was easy to sit down with you and talk everything out.”

The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations recently awarded the Levy County Schools Foundation $16,249.75 in matching funds through the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program.

The funds will be used in the 2017-18 school year to enhance classroom STEM programs; fund middle school field trips; provide classroom mentoring for new teachers; purchase needed computer equipment and support student CTE programs.

Private matching funds, required under the grant, will be provided through the Foundation’s fundraising efforts and Capital City Bank, Suncoast Credit Union and Duke Energy grants.

Men and women from all walks of life representing every branch of military service will be the guests of honor Saturday, when the city of Williston hosts the annual Levy County Veterans Day Parade.

Step-off is at 10 a.m. Nov. 11. More than 35 units have pre-registered to participate in the parade down Noble Avenue including floats, motorcycles and horse and buggies.

Following the parade, everyone is encouraged to come to the Heritage Park Pavilion where Mayor R. Gerald Hethcoat’s annual Veterans Day Program will take place.

In addition to patriotic music, where all branches of the military are honored with their anthems, Williston City Council President Charles Goodman, a Vietnam veteran, will deliver the keynote address.

At 17 years old, Goodman said he knew he was not going to college and facing certain draft, decided to join the Army rather than wait to be drafted.

He was first trained at Ft. Benning, Georgia, then Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Chiefland Police Chief Scott Anderson said he does not support state legislation that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

“Rather than support new laws that criminals do not mind breaking, I would like to see the criminal justice system in this state enforce the laws already on the books,” he wrote Nov. 2 in a letter in response to the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.

The organization was asking for support of state legislation sponsored by Sen. Linda Stewart (SB 196) and Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (HB 219), which address “these weapons of war.”

Coalition co-chairs Patricia Brigham and Andy Pelosi wrote, “The public and our law enforcement officers continue to face dangers that were unheard of just a few decades ago. The proliferation of assault weapons and other firearms with high capacity magazines have made mass-shooting incidents too commonplace.

PHI Air Medical, a medical air service company, was granted a certification by the Levy County Board of County Commissioners Nov. 7 to open an air ambulance service in Levy County.

The BOCC approved a required Certification of Public Convenience and Necessity after hearing from PHI Air Medical regional director Sean O’Neal and Levy County Department of Public Safety director Mitch Harrell as well as medical director Dr. Charles Wayne, of UF Shands.

Harrell offered his endorsement for PHI Air Medical opening a location in Levy County, adding that he doesn’t anticipate it coming at any cost to the county. The location in the county is still under discussion, but the site of the Emergency Operations Center was raised as a possibility.

“It would be an asset for the community,” Harrell said. “With it being located in Levy County, it’s going to reduce the travels times.

The vote was a unanimous 4-0 margin; Commissioner Rock Meeks was not present.

Florida Fish & Wildlife marine biologists Taj Knapp and Hannah Healey recently visited Lisa Baxter’s fifth-grade science enrichment class. The students had “hands on” encounters with various sea life, including a shark! The students are pictured here with the marine biologists on the back right and CES principal Lacy Redd, back left. The students had a great time and it was a great learning experience.

Chiefland Elementary School has great volunteers. Some people wonder how they can get involved in the school and what type of volunteer activities they could do.

This year, Tammy Arrington is using volunteers every Thursday morning in her classroom. Shirley Matthews, Sandra Colson, Robin Thomas, Ann Wood, Time Wetherington and Lori Prevatt assist students in the classroom with different tasks.

They also oversee center games as well as read with and listen to students read. In the photo is Tammy Arrington’s class with some of the volunteers. Volunteer Lori Prevatt is not in the photo.

It was a busy week at Chiefland Elementary School during National Red Ribbon Week.

The theme was “Your Future is Key, So stay Drug Free!!"

Students and staff participated in dress-up days to bring awareness to drug prevention. A poster contest was held for grades 3-5, and a coloring contest for PreK through second grade. A special thanks goes to staff members Cheryl Tindale and Lisa Campbell for heading up all the week’s activities.

On Tuesday, the Chiefland Rotary Club, along with the Interact Club from Chiefland Middle High School, painted pinkies purple for polio awareness. Students paid one dollar to paint their pinkies purple. The money raised helped to pay for polio vaccines.

As the chairperson of the Haven Corporate Community Advisory Board, who resides in the Tri-County area, I wanted to clarify the events surrounding the recent, temporary closure of the Haven Tri-Counties Hospice Care Center.

Haven has served the residents of the Tri-County area since 1979 and remains fully committed to serving the Tri-County area. Approximately 95 percent of the patients that Haven cares for receives hospice care in their homes, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. This is at the request of the patients and their families and we strive to honor those wishes. The hospice field team will continue to serve these patients in their homes and ensure they receive the quality hospice care that Haven is known for.

The hospice field team will continue to operate from the Haven administrative office located next to Care Center in Chiefland. If a patient needs care center placement, they will be able to access this level of care at either our Gainesville or Lake City care centers.

The Chiefland Chamber is gearing up for the 14th Annual Chiefland Christmas Festival Saturday, Dec. 9. Please see the below listed sponsorship opportunities, as well as ways to get involved in this special community event as a Christmas Festival Silver Sponsor, $50; or as a Christmas Festival Gold Sponsor, $100. Christmas Festival sponsorships assist with purchasing festival advertising and miscellaneous expenses related to the event.

For the Rudolph Run 5K, donate items for goodie bags (healthy snacks, hand towel, notepads, pens, coupons, gift cards with a $50 minimum. Rudolph Run 5K sponsorships of $50 covers the cost of goodie bags, medals and prizes for runners and walkers.

Be a T-Shirt Sponsor for $100 and be one of six places on the back of the t-shirts to get a business name and logo. $50 sponsors have business name listed on the back of shirt with no logo.

Get involved in other ways as a runner or walker in the Rudolph Run 5K; volunteer to help at the Rudolph 5K Fun Run from 8 a.m.-10 a.m.; volunteer at the Chamber booth during the event; be a vendor and enter a float or vehicle in the parade.